Melony Materi

View Original

What's the buzz?

This story is two-fold.  I love it when God uses nature as a metaphor…

My chimney is located between my kitchen and living room.  A few weeks ago, I could hear a buzzing as I walked by it.  A swarm of bees had decided to move into it and I could hear them through the brick.   I went outside and sure enough, bees were busily going in and out of it as they collected pollen from the many flowers in the yard.

My stepson had previous experience with this.  We made plans to eradicate the bees the next day.  “We’ll just turn on the furnace and they will come out and huddle on the outside of the chimney.  We'll use some spray and that should take care of them," he said.

Sounded like a good plan to me.  I didn't like the idea of killing the bees, but I didn't feel I had a choice.

In the meantime, my friend Kate had always told me that God has given us dominion and authority over such things.  We have to have faith.  I wasn’t sure what I thought about that, but decided to try it anyway.  “I command you, in the name of Jesus, to vacate and leave!” I exclaimed as I shouted at the chimney. 

Nothing happened.

The next morning, the buzzing emanating from the chimney was even louder.  I was anxious for Kelly, my stepson, to arrive and in the meantime, decided to get some work done.  Down the stairs I trotted to start a load of laundry.  As soon as I turned on the light, some bees started buzzing around it.  The load of laundry was promptly dropped on the floor as I quickly vacated.  I noticed something out of the corner of my eye that seemed out of place over by the furnace, but I certainly wasn’t going to take the time to investigate.

When Kelly arrived, we grabbed a can of Raid before descending into the dreaded basement.  As he ignited the furnace, I shone a flashlight into the area where something seemed amiss.  And there, huddled on the concrete wall, was a mass of bees…hundreds of bees…

“Give them a spray while I ignite the furnace,” he said a little calmer than I felt.  “They’re coming into the basement through the damper on the furnace.”

We stood outside on that thirty degree Celsius day and waited for the mass of bees that were still in the chimney to exit.  Not one exited.  Nothing.  Nada.  Great…

Awhile later, we shut off the furnace.  There were dead bees everywhere in the basement from the ones I had sprayed, but the buzzing was still in the chimney just as loud.  Now what?

Plan B.  By this time it was evening.  Kelly devised a plan to put a bag over the top of the chimney, then take apart the piping to the furnace downstairs and place a bag over that as well.  The bees would be trapped with no way out. 

“It’s already late,” I said.  “Let’s try it in the morning.”

The next morning, as I pattered around the kitchen, something was missing…  There was no sound coming from the chimney.  “Oh no…,” I thought as my brain considered the thought of them in the basement again… 

I gingerly turned on the light and slowly descended the steps.  No bees. 

I went outside and watched the chimney.  None were coming in and out.  Not one.  They were gone!

I called Kelly immediately.  “What do you think happened?” I asked.

“I don’t know…  Maybe they felt threatened and left?”

I didn’t know what to think.  Then, I admitted to Kelly (yes, admitted is the right word) that I had declared my authority over the bees, in Jesus name, and had commanded them to leave.

There was silence on the phone.

***

A few days later, a woman in one of the programs at the Center was working through some decisions she knew her heart had made as a result of an experience, some of which were:  I’m not worth anything; I have a broken heart; I am weak; I’m a burden; I cause pain.  She even drew a picture of herself with small pictures surrounding her representing each decision that had been made.

Within a few minutes, she was telling me about a wasp nest close to her garden that she had to get rid of.  They kept attacking her every time she went near it.  They were not allowing her to get her work done in the garden.  That’s when I clearly saw the metaphor.

I told her about the bees and how I had declared my authority over them and commanded them to leave.  Then I held up the picture she had drawn.  “Can you see any similarities?” I asked.  “Look at the small pictures you’ve drawn around yourself representing the decisions your heart has made.  They look like bees or wasps buzzing around your head!  They are preventing you from being the person God intended for you to be!  They are preventing you from doing any work He has called you to!”

The look on her face was priceless as she made the connection.

“If you declare and break off these decisions and start declaring what God says about you every time you ‘hear’ one of those thoughts in your head, imagine what would start happening!” I exclaimed.  “God’s word is your sword.  You can't just stand there and hold the sword and expect that Satan will come up and fling himself against it.  You MUST use it!  You have to command and declare your authority!” 

Do you have some bees or wasps buzzing around your head?  I dare you to believe…  And I challenge you to declare…

Coming soon ~ Part 2 of What’s the buzz?